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I wanted to bring this up to us old car people. Is there anything better than old car smell? Forgive me that it's a Buick. This is my 66 Sport Wagon. 75k original miles. I love that every time I get in it it smells like an old car. Hard to describe but hopefully you all know what I mean.
I think I mentioned in a previous post that my dad purchased a 57 Olds 88 from my grandfather I always remember the smell !
but I can describe it !! it was a combination of Aqua Velva, Oldstyle Beer and mothballs !! oh my I remember it well !!
However I also remember the smell your talking about my sister had a 1960 Dodge Coronet that always had that smell !!
It's not mold or mildew, but it's the state of being old and no air circulation, like a library. My grandmother's house used to have a time-worn, quiet, eternal smell to it that you would acclimate to in about ten seconds. She's gone, and 95% of the stuff is gone, and the smell is gone, too. I think it was in the furniture. The car smell says I've been here 50 years, and will be here 50 more; the problems of today will pass.
About six years ago I replaced the upholstery, headliner and carpet, but I left most of the original foam padding in the seats. I lucked out because the old car smell is still there. It must be hiding in the foam padding!
I’m sure most people reading this are familiar with the movie Christine. Remember what LeBay (I think that was the characters name) said about new car smells?
I have no doubt quoting the movie will not go over well with the censors here.
It’s on YouTube for those who have spent the past 30 years in isolation.
That jag scent looks interesting, fuel leather whisky tobacco, maybe throw in a little female perfume scent and I think youve got awinner
my kid associates old car smell w carbs, whenever were behind a carbd car or truck i hear i can smell old car!
fwiw my car doesnt smell like old car ( except for the carb part). I think after new floors, rug, headliner seats recovered etcetc and 6 month storage w desicant it has a pleasant smell thats kinda outdoorsy, kinda like a late spring morning!
a plug for those tree like car fresheners, my buddy had one i think yankee candle brand that was labeled clean laundry ( or similar) it smelled like clean laundry, it was nice in the moment, but in general i dont care for artificial scents.
Last edited by RetroRanger; January 5th, 2021 at 12:19 PM.
No better smell, my 69 still has it even though the interior was revamped. Talk about instantly getting transported to my youth ...
A friend of mine who is on this forum will know what I mean. When his father was alive, he used to buy and sell old cars, mostly but not always Oldsmobiles. As a little kid, I was always fascinated by the old cars they had in the yard, and sometimes we would play in them, or just look at them in wonderment. I am very familiar with the smell of old cars, and whenever I go to a car show and an interesting car has it's windows open, I like to lean in a little to get a whiff of it. Most of the time, it's still there. Funny how smells bring back memories. Smells are what many animals go by in life. Another friend from my youth, his mother frequently cooked a meal with an odd smell. If I went there today and she were cooking whatever that meal was, I'd certainly remember it.
All these reminiscences make total sense! The old schnoz and it's sensory organ receptors have been proven to be extremely linked to memory. Pretty much all animals experience this. Especially when it comes to pheromones All my Olds' familiar scents have brought forth the fond memories I feel totally at home and at ease when sitting or working in my 4-4-2.
Only we the few car aficionados will ever “get it”. The remaining souls would simply interpret this essence as the smell of their grandparent’s belonging’s while assessing values on EBay. The aroma of an old car is a key component of the “old car” experience. Much like Robin William’s character in “Good Will Hunting” references the physical description of the Sistine Chapel without the accompanying smell.... (Well, perhaps not that grandiose!). But like a connoisseur of fine wine or aged whiskey, you sit in the driver’s seat, close your eyes and inhale a memory. “Buy the ticket, take the ride”. Hunter S Thompson
My 56 does not have the old car smell I'm not sure why, I wish it did !! how ever I do remember the smell, I'm sure it had to do with the products used to manufacture the interiors remember it was a different time, people knew of allergy's but didn't always know what caused them so producers of Vinyl products, upholstery products, carpet products etc. didn't really attempt to produce products that were smell neutral or allergy neutral, the combination of these products which may have had a new car smell at one time that morphed in to that classic old car smell, these days I'm sure that a great amount of research is done to make sure the products don't have a offensive odor and I'm sure there treated with chemicals that resist moisture, body fluids etc...sure these days new cars still have a new car smell but it usually fades to nothing
unless you have kids spilling grape Slurpee's dropping Frito's in the cracks and smearing their peanut butter sandwich's across your seats and then you have that special family van smell !!
Last edited by solly; January 5th, 2021 at 09:39 PM.
Only we the few car aficionados will ever “get it”. The remaining souls would simply interpret this essence as the smell of their grandparent’s belonging’s while assessing values on EBay. The aroma of an old car is a key component of the “old car” experience. Much like Robin William’s character in “Good Will Hunting” references the physical description of the Sistine Chapel without the accompanying smell.... (Well, perhaps not that grandiose!). But like a connoisseur of fine wine or aged whiskey, you sit in the driver’s seat, close your eyes and inhale a memory. “Buy the ticket, take the ride”. Hunter S Thompson
Part of my Cutlass's old car smell is the aroma of years of oil seepage from the engine with an occasional whiff of fuel vapors from the carb. After riding for any extended time my clothes take on some of that aroma. Currently my 07 Grand Marquis doesn't smell nearly as good as I had a water leak in the firewall which soaked some of the carpet, all fixed and dried out but some of the mildew smell is still there. Vintage electronics is another one of my favorite flavors, vintage solid state and vacuum tube both have their own distinct smells.
My wife can’t go into the garage after I park the Olds until the smell of oil, gas, rubber, etc dissipates. While I sit and revel, she holds her nose...
Ballistol, Hoppe's # 9 and leather, some nylon and plastic for my semis but all my revolvers have and deserve leather, at least 1 of my Henrys has a full flapped leather sheath, can't beat the smell of leather !!!!
January 4th, 2021 | 09:10 PM
... Tedd
I feel totally at home and at ease when sitting or working in my 4-4-2.
